DUAL RECOVERY ANONYMOUS is a Twelve Step
self-help program for individuals who experience both chemical dependency and an
emotional or psychiatric illness. Men and women who currently use psychiatric
medications under a doctor's care, or who have done so in the past, are welcome
to participate.

OPENING

Welcome to the ______________ meeting of Dual
Recovery Anonymous. This meeting is open to DRA members and to other individuals
who are concerned about their personal recovery. My name is _______, and I am in
dual recovery. Will you join me for a moment of silence, followed by the
Serenity Prayer?

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Would anyone like to read the Preamble?

Preamble

DRA is an independent, nonprofit, self-help
organization. Our goal is to help men and women who experience a dual illness:
We are chemically dependent and we are also affected by an emotional or
psychiatric illness. Both illnesses affect us in all areas of our lives:
physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually.

The primary purpose of DRA is to help one
another achieve dual recovery, to prevent relapse, and to carry the message of
recovery to others who experience dual disorders.

DRA has two requirements for membership: a
desire to stop using alcohol and other intoxicating drugs, and a desire to
manage our emotional or psychiatric illness in a healthy and constructive way.

DRA is a nonprofessional self-help program.
There must always be a clear boundary separating the work of DRA from the work
of chemical dependency and mental health professionals. The DRA fellowship has
no opinion on matters of diagnosis, treatment, medication, or other issues
related to the health-care professions.

The DRA fellowship is not affiliated with any
other self-help organization or Twelve Step program. DRA has no opinion on the
way other groups address the problems of dual disorders and dual recovery. We do
not criticize the efforts of others.

The DRA Central Service Office will offer
support to others who wish to start DRA meetings and who wish to work with other
groups to carry the message.

Thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are there any DRA announcements at this time?

INTRODUCTIONS

Shall we take this time to introduce
ourselves? Some of us are comfortable using the following introduction: My name
is [first name, last initial] and I am in dual recovery. But there is no
official introduction. Feel free to find a way of introducing yourself that you
are comfortable with.

Would anyone like to read "Accepting
Differences"?

Accepting Differences

Newcomers and visitors may ask, Can a DRA
program help me even with the type of symptoms that I have? Such feelings are
not uncommon. We need to help newcomers recognize that a variety of symptoms are
possible with a dual illness. There is no single type of dual disorder.

Our chemical problems also vary. For example:

One man used alcohol, while another used many different
drugs.

One woman got high daily, while another got high only
once a month.

Some of us have been in treatment programs several times
for our chemical dependency, while others have received outpatient care
while living at home.

Some of us have been clean and sober for a long time,
while others have yet to become abstinent.

We have found that this is also true when we
consider the symptoms of our specific psychiatric illness and worry that they
will set us apart from others. For example:

Some of us use prescription medications to control our
symptoms, while others have symptoms that need no medication.

Some of us have struggled for many years with our
psychiatric illness, while others have just begun to experience the onset
of symptoms.

Some of us have experienced changes in our ability to
perceive reality clearly and have experienced hallucinations, whether they
come in the form of hearing voices or seeing visions.

Some of us have felt increased energy or have experienced
changes in our ability to think and make judgments. We may have also found
that our thoughts sometimes race and seem to go out of control.

Some of us have felt a loss of energy, a loss of
enjoyment of life, and have perceived life from a negative perspective.
Perhaps our sleeping patterns and appetite have changed as well. We may
have become suicidal. We may find that we have difficulties with our
thoughts and concentration.

These lists are far from complete, but they
point to a common bond; both men and women are affected by different types of
no-fault illnesses whose symptoms can disrupt the ability to function and relate
to others effectively.

Some of us feared that we were becoming
hopelessly impaired. We came to believe that we would never be
"normal" again. Many of us have experienced great shame and guilt. We
believed that our emotional or psychiatric illness and chemical dependency were
our fault. Some of us have become secretive. We tried to keep our drinking and
drug use a secret, and later some of us felt a need to keep our recovery and
Steps a secret. We also felt our psychiatric illness must be kept secret,
especially if our recovery program included prescription medication.

We seemed to run out of ways to protect our
feelings and self-esteem, and to protect ourselves from the attitudes of those
around us. Many of us gradually went into a closet of denial. If there are any
among us who have felt as though they were living in that closet, we welcome
you. We want you to know that the fear, isolation, and secrecy no longer need be
a part of your life.

Would someone like to read "Getting Started in Dual
Recovery"?

Getting Started in Dual Recovery

The DRA approach to dual recovery is based on
a simple set of ideas and Steps. They are suggestions for recovery rather than a
set of rules. They encourage us to find our own personal recovery, the one that
is most meaningful. They are meant to support those of us who wish to bring a
spiritual dimension to our dual recovery.

The DRA program is worked on a day-by-day basis. Here are the
suggestions for dual recovery:

Today, I will be free of alcohol and other intoxicating
drugs.

Today, I will follow a healthy plan to manage my
emotional or psychiatric illness.

Today, I will practice the Twelve Steps.

We admitted we were powerless over our dual illness of
chemical dependency and emotional or psychiatric illness - that our lives
had become unmanageable.

Came to believe that a Higher Power of our understanding
could restore us to sanity.

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the
care of our Higher Power, to help us to rebuild our lives in a positive and
caring way.

Made a searching and fearless personal inventory of
ourselves.

Admitted to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to another
human being, the exact nature of our liabilities and our assets.

Were entirely ready to have our Higher Power remove all our
liabilities.

Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove these liabilities
and to help us to strengthen our assets for recovery.

Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing
to make amends to them all.

Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except
when to do so would injure them or others.

Continued to take personal inventory and when wrong
promptly admitted it, while continuing to recognize our progress in dual
recovery.

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
conscious contact with our Higher Power, praying only for knowledge of our
Higher Power's will for us and the power to carry that out.

Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these
Steps, we tried to carry this message to others who experience dual
disorders and to practice these principles in all our affairs.*

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

This is a closed meeting where we can discuss
the Steps and matters of personal recovery. Everyone will have an opportunity to
share as we go around the table. If you do not wish to share, simply say
"Pass."

CLOSING

Tradition Seven reminds us that every DRA
group is fully self-supporting. As we close, a basket will be passed.

Tradition Twelve reminds us of our need for
anonymity. We ask that you do not repeat the names of anyone who has attended
this meeting or talk about what has been shared. Only by exercising this
tradition can DRA provide a setting where we can feel safe to share in a way
that will help our dual recovery.

If you know someone who might find help from
the DRA program, feel free to bring them to a DRA meeting. However, please bring
them only if they express a personal interest. Recovery is always a matter of
personal choice. We can do our best when we carry the message and practice the
program.

Would all who care to, join me in the "Serenity
Prayer"?

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

*Adapted from the Twelve
Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous®

*The Twelve Steps
of AA are reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous
World Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps
does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this
publication, nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. AA is a
program of recovery from alcoholism only - use of the Twelve Steps in
connection with programs and activities that are patterned after AA, but
that address other problems, does not imply otherwise. THE TWELVE STEPS
OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS* 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol
that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power
greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to
turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood
Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact
nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our
shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became
willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people
where ever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it. 11. Sought thorough prayer and meditation to improve our
conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for
knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having
had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to
carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all
our affairs.

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Generally, a chairperson will hand out the individual documents, The Preamble, Getting Started, and Accepting Differences, before the meeting starts to give other members an opportunity to do service work by reading them aloud when called.

Usually, Groups either use this format or modify it somewhat to suite their particular needs. Since most Groups choose to hand out the individual documents, the chairperson may use a shortened or skeleton version of the full meeting format to guide the meeting in an orderly fashion.

NOTE: Reading one of the documents normally read during the beginning phase of a DRA 12-Step Meeting can be a valuable opportunity for newer members to gain confidence in speaking and sharing at meetings. However we never pressure anyone into reading aloud or sharing.

NOTE: Closed Meetings are for DRA Members and those who are interested in their own personal dual Recovery

Open Meetings are for DRA Members, and any interested person including family, friends, and people who may want to learn more about DRA.

Institutional In-House DRA Educational and Support Sessions provided by service providers for their clients or that are professionally run or led, are neither Open or Closed Meetings. Those activities are not based on DRA's 12 Traditions and are activities outside of the DRA Fellowship. They are clearly part of the treatment curriculum or services provided by that institution or service